write an essay on playing games

Essays About Video Games: Top 12 Examples and Prompts

Video games have revolutionized the way we have fun today. If you are writing essays about video games, check out our guide to inspire your writing.

Few can contest the fact that video games have taken over the world. From the basic, almost “primitive” games of the 1970s like Pong to the mind-bending virtual reality games of the 2020s, they have been a source of entertainment for all. Moreover, they have proven quite profitable; countries like Japan and the United States have made tens of billions of dollars solely from the video game market.

Despite their popularity, much has been debated over the potentially harmful side effects that video games may have, particularly on children. One side argues that playing certain video games can lead to people exhibiting violence in the future, while others believe that video games teach players essential life skills. Regardless, they will continue to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future.

For engaging essays about video games, read the essay examples featured below for inspiration.

1. What electronic games can teach us by Kendall Powell

2. designers are imagining video games without guns by keith stuart, 3. playing video games all summer won’t make you feel worse by nicole wetsman, 4. violent video games bad by andrea newman.

5. The health effects of too much gaming by Peter Grinspoon

Writing Prompts For Essays About Video Games

1. video games: good or bad, 2. the benefits of video games, 3. what is your favorite video game, 4. do video games cause people to become violent, 5. video games in your life, 6. video games vs. traditional games, 7. is the video game rating system enough.

“In other studies, researchers found that gamers who trained on Tetris were better at mentally rotating two-dimensional shapes than those who played a control game. Students who played two hours of All You Can E.T., an educational game designed to enhance the executive function of switching between tasks, improved their focus-shifting skills compared with students who played a word search game.”

Powell explains a few possibilities of applying video games to education. As it turns out, certain video games can improve players’ skills, depending on the mechanics. Researchers are inspired by this and hope to take advantage of the competitive, motivational nature of gaming to encourage children to learn. New games are designed to help kids improve their focus, coordination, and resilience, and game designers hope they will succeed.

“Imagine a game where you’re a war reporter seeking to capture the most iconic, representative images in a battle environment: You’d still get the sense of peril that audiences expect from action adventures, but your relationship with the environment would be more profound. It would be Call of Duty from the perspective of a creative participant rather than a violent interloper.”

The graphic nature of some video games is said to make kids violent, so it is only natural that some creators try to change this. Stuart writes that it is possible to maintain the fun that shooter-type games induce without using guns. He gives examples of games where you do not kill your enemy, simply stunning or capturing them instead. He also suggests photography as an alternative to killing in a “shooting” game. Finally, he suggests basing video games around helping others, making friends, and doing more peaceful, creative tasks.

“Any role video games play in skewing well-being that did pop up in the study was too small to have a real-world impact on how people feel, the authors said. People would have to play games for 10 more hours per day than their baseline to notice changes in their well-being, the study found.”

Wetsman counters the widespread belief that video games “destroy your brain.” Research done with a sample of 39,000 players over six weeks has shown that whether one plays video games for long or short periods, their mental health is not impacted much. There are some exceptions; however, there are not enough to conclude that video games are, in fact, harmful.

“Some people believe that the connection between violent games, and real violence is also fairly intuitive. In playing the games kids are likely to become desensitized to gory images;which could make them less disturbing, and perhaps easier to deal with in real life. While video games aren’t about violence their capacity to teach can be a good thing.”

In her essay, Newman writes about the supposed promotion of violence in some video games. However, she believes this violence does not cause people to be more aggressive later. Instead, she believes these games expose children to certain atrocities so they will not be traumatized if they see them in real life. In addition, these games supposedly promote connections and friendships. Finally, Newman believes that these “harmful” can make you a better person.

5. The health effects of too much gaming by Peter Grinspoon

“Gamers need to be educated on how to protect their thumbs, wrists, and elbows, their waistlines, their emotional state, their sleep, and their eyes. Simple education around taking breaks, stretching, eating healthy snacks, and resting and icing your thumb, wrist, or elbow when it starts hurting can address injuries early, before they become significant. For the eyes, gamers can try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, try to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.”

Grinspoon discusses both the benefits and the health risks of gaming. Video games allow people to interact with each other remotely and bond over specific missions or tasks, and some research shows that they have cognitive benefits. However, some gamers may develop vision problems and hand and wrist injuries. Gaming and “staring in front of a screen the whole day” is also associated with obesity. Overall, Grinspoon believes that gaming is best done in moderation.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about hobbies .

Many parents believe that their children’s “bad behavior” is because of video games. Based on your experience and others, decide: are video games good or bad for you? Make sure to read viewpoints from both sides and write an essay based on your position. Would you encourage others to play video games? Discuss these pros and cons for an interesting argumentative essay.

Like anything else, video games have both positive and negative aspects. Explain the good that video games can do for you: the skills they can equip you with, the lessons they can teach, and anything else. Also, include whether you believe their benefits outweigh the disadvantages they may pose.

For your essay, write about your favorite video game and why you chose it. What is its meaning to you, and how has it affected your life? Describe the gameplay mechanics, characters, storyline, and general impact on the gaming community or society. You can write about any game you want, even if you have not played it; just ensure the content is sufficient.

Many claim that playing violent video games can make you violent in the future. Research this phenomenon and conclude whether it is true or not. Is the evidence sufficient? There are many resources on this topic; support your argument by citing credible sources, such as news articles, statistics, and scientific research.

Video games have been a part of almost all our lives. Recall a treasured experience with video games and explain why it is significant. How old were you? Why do you remember it fondly? How did this experience make you feel? Answer these questions in your own words for an exciting essay.

Essays About Video Games: Video games vs. Traditional games

There are stark differences between video and traditional games, such as board games and card games. For an engaging essay, compare and contrast them and write about which is more entertaining, in your opinion. Be creative; this should be based on your own opinions and ideas.

The video game content rating system is used to classify video games based on their appropriateness for specific ages. However, parents complain that they are not strict enough and allow the display of violent content to children. Explore the criteria behind the rating system, decide whether it needs to be changed or not, and give examples to support your argument.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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How to Write an Essay about Video Games: Presenting Effective Arguments in Papers

Gaming on video consoles is becoming more and more common. In actuality, the typical gamer plays for roughly six hours each week. There are many who claim that video games are harmful to one’s health since they promote inactive lifestyles like prolonged sitting and isolation from the outside world. On the other hand, some people say that playing video games is a good way to unwind and relax, and they are not wrong. So, what is the real story of video games? Are they good or bad? The controversy of playing video games presents an opportunity for students to either be proponents or antagonists of the issue through essays. Accordingly, this article discusses how a learner can write an essay about video games.

It would be best to do thorough research before writing an essay about video games

Research is often the most challenging aspect of preparing an essay. While writing your video games essay, you’ll have to employ the information you get from research to define video games, describe different genres, and give relevant examples to support your claims. Students must recognize that the amount of research they conduct totally affects how good their essays turn out. Your video game essay will benefit greatly from your careful attention to detail and thorough investigation. Just keep in mind that you are trying to convince your audience to see things from your point of view. This is why having a great deal of background information is essential. Researching your favorite video game would give you an added advantage. Additionally, to support your claims, you must include relevant examples and research-based data.

You should develop an introduction that captures your reader’s interest

The whole point of the opening paragraph is to capture the interest of the audience. To achieve this, it should pose an intriguing topic or provide a contradiction or paradox. You ought to add a good hook to grab the reader’s attention so they can’t help but keep reading your paper. Given that there are numerous motivations for why individuals engage in video games, the introduction is where you have to specify the reasons. Moreover, it would be best to incorporate your thesis statement in the introduction. A thesis statement is basically the writer’s primary concept, summed up in one or a few sentences. A well-formulated thesis statement expresses the work’s central argument in a way that makes sense in light of the inquiry or issue at hand. It would be the correct response to the question, “What is the primary theme of this essay?” from the instructor. Nonetheless, you should perceive your thesis as an opinion that may be debated at any time, rather than an established fact or objective reality. In other words, now is the time to speak your mind regarding the impact of video games on today’s youth.

You must present your arguments in the body paragraphs

The arguments are what learners utilize to support their thesis. A single contention and one or two examples must each have their own paragraph. It would be best to provide your reasoning for your video game position and be sure to explain why you firmly disagree with the opposing viewpoint. Examples include your own experiences and, where appropriate, references to data from studies, forecasts, and statistics. Students should provide answers to contentious topics like “Do video games promote addiction and violence among players?” The arguments you employ ought to back your main point rather than contradict it.

You may offer vivid illustrations as you write an argumentative essay about video games

Learners should offer evocative examples of the genres and video games under consideration. Instead of stressing about whether the material you discover online or the game’s publishers are legit, dedicate yourself to writing a fun and vibrant paper for the person who reads it. This approach piques the audience’s attention and facilitates their comprehension of the argumentative essay about video games. Additionally, these vivid examples assist you in conveying your ideas in a manner that words can’t. Even if you aren’t convinced that your assignment requires an example, using one might perk up your reader and provide your arguments additional weight.

You should write a conclusion for your essay

The last section is meant to sum up the college essay. You may accomplish this by restating the thesis statement and briefly mentioning the arguments you presented in your body paragraphs. This approach will help the audience understand how you systematically addressed the issue and made conclusions. For instance, suppose you had to respond to the question, “Do games negatively affect us?” A topic like that can’t be satisfactorily answered by psychology, particularly when it involves something as novel as video games. Consequently, it is actually way easier to just pick a side and support your position with some research. In the end, your readers don’t expect the argument to be elaborated upon but rather summarized. No new material should be introduced in the last paragraph.

Identifying the sources you employed would be best

When you are writing an essay about video games, it is essential to cite your sources. That means you got to make a list of every resource you used in your paper. References to diverse books, scientific studies, statistical data, and remarks made by well-known experts are acceptable. It would help to make sure your research is from the past five years.

Proofreading is vital for developing a top-notch paper

Students must make sure that their essays about video games have been edited and proofread prior to submission. So basically, you are going to check your assignment for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes. Completing an essay that is free of errors increases a learner’s likelihood of academic success. Here are some tips to help you proofread your work:

Read the text aloud. This will enable you to detect any mistakes.
Take your time proofreading and revising your work. Spend sufficient time on it to ensure you catch any possible oversights.
Concentrate on correcting a single mistake at a time. Avoid the hassle of searching for spelling and grammar mistakes at the same time. Prior to checking for punctuation and spelling problems, you may concentrate on grammatical issues.
You may also create a list of the most typical errors that students make while writing essays, then review your work for each one.

Using these suggestions will guarantee that your essay is devoid of all types of mistakes that might undermine how persuasive your argument is. Alternatively, you can delegate your “ write my essay ” request to online essay writing services like CustomWritings which may allow you to complete a high-quality paper about video games.

Extra tips for presenting better arguments in essays about video games

Today’s youth often engage in video gaming, and this trend will only spread in the coming years. Composing a paper about video games can help you learn more about the subject while also providing readers with information they can utilize in their lives. Just consider the potential for them to be inspired by and gain new knowledge from your essay about video games. Following this article’s recommendations should take you a step closer to achieving your academic goals.

Nick Sinclair

Nick Sinclair, a gaming aficionado since the Commodore 64 era, studied Creative Computer Games Design in university before founding his own gaming company. Discovering a passion for content creation, Nick now helps gamers squeeze every drop of fun out of their favorite gaming hardware

Short Essay on School games [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

In this lesson today, I will discuss short essay writing on School Games. There will be three different sets of essays covering different word limits. Let’s get started.

Feature image of Short Essay on School games

Short Essay on School games in 100 Words

The indoor and outdoor games that students play in school are known as school games. These include games like cricket, football, basketball, hockey, lawn tennis, badminton, chess, ludo and table tennis. Playing games helps students relax after they have studied hard and refreshes their minds and bodies.

Students are encouraged to play during games periods and breaks. It helps students stay healthy and active and also helps them develop social skills. Playing in a team allows kids to learn obedience, discipline, teamwork, fairness and leadership.

These qualities cannot be learnt by reading books. These develop when one interacts with others in real situations. Thus, playing games helps improve social skills as well and prepares students for the life ahead of them.

Short Essay on School games in 200 Words

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The proverb suggests that in life, playing is as important as working. Playing games and doing sports refreshes one’s mind and body, improves health and keeps the person fit. It is especially important for kids to play games as it helps in their overall growth and development. That’s why much attention is given to physical training and games in schools. Students are encouraged to play during games periods and breaks.

There are many different types of games that students play in school. Some of these are indoor games like chess, ludo and table tennis while others are outdoor games such as cricket, football, basketball, hockey, lawn tennis and badminton. Playing games doesn’t just help students stay healthy and active, it also helps them develop social skills.

Playing in a team helps kids learn obedience, discipline, teamwork, fairness and also, leadership. These qualities cannot be learnt by reading books. These develop when one interacts with others in real situations. Thus, playing games helps improve social skills as well and prepares students for the life ahead of them.

Studying all the time can mentally exhaust students. Playing games can provide the necessary relaxation and help students perform better. Thus, school games are important for students.

Short Essay on School games in 400 Words

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The proverb suggests that in life, work and play are equally important. When one only focuses on work or studies, one can easily get bored, lose focus and feel exhausted.

Playing games and doing sports refreshes one’s mind and body, improves health and keeps the person fit. It is especially important for kids to play games as it helps in their overall growth and development. That’s why much attention is given to physical training and games in schools. Students are encouraged to play during special periods allotted for games and during breaks. It can help lessen their stress and they can go back to their books with a clear mind.

Many schools have sports teachers who help the students learn and practice different sports. Students in some schools form cricket, football, hockey teams and compete with teams from other schools. These inter-school competitions can involve many different schools and serve as an opportunity for the students to learn to cooperate with each other and show sportsmanship.

Many of these students find that they are exceptionally good at some of these games and pursue higher training to become professional players. A lot of good colleges and universities accept students who aren’t good in academics but are exceptional in sports. Hence, playing games can help students in many different ways.

Studying all the time can mentally exhaust students. Playing games can provide the necessary relaxation and help students perform better. It can also improve their health and fill them with energy and vigour. Thus, school games are important for students and students should be encouraged to happily participate in the games.

That was all about writing short essays on school games. In this session, I have written these essays in very simple words for a better understanding of all kinds of students. Still, if you have any doubts regarding this session, kindly let me know through the comment section below. To read more such essays on various important topics, keep browsing our website.

Please join us on Telegram to get the latest updates on our upcoming sessions. Thank you for being with us. All the best for your upcoming exam.

My Favourite Game Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on my favourite game.

My Favourite game essay-Playing games are very important for a human being. It keeps a man fit. Moreover, it keeps him away from diseases. Having some physical hobby is essential for a person. Most importantly many nutritionist and doctor recommend it. Children play many games. Some of them are cricket , basketball, football. Tennis , badminton, etc. Since in India the famous game is cricket many children are having it as a hobby. But my favorite is football.

My Favorite Game – Football

When I was a child I liked cricket too but was never good at it. So I changed my hobby to football . Football was new to me in class 3. I did not play well in the beginning. But I liked the game very much. So I started practicing it. As a result, I began to play it well.

In class 5 I became the captain of my class football team. At that time I was so much excited to become the captain. With time a learned a lot about football.

In Football total 22 players play. Division of players is in two teams. Each team has 11 players. These players have to play with the ball only with legs. They have to kick the ball in the other teams’ goal post. Football is not like cricket. Weather is not an issue in football. Due to which players can play it the whole year.

In addition to football is a game of stamina. The players have to run on the field for the whole game. Also for 90 minutes too. Since 90 minutes is a lot there is a division in time. There are two halves. The first is of 45 minutes. Likewise, the second half is of 45 minutes too.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Rules in the Game

Like all the other games there are some rules and regulations too. First of all, the ball should not touch the ball by hand. If the ball gets touched by hand the other team gets a free-kick. There is a small area near the goal post. ‘D’ is the name of that area. The boundary of the ‘D’ is at least 10 yards from the goal post. If the player touches the ball there the opposite team gets a penalty.

Moreover, there are other rules. The second important rule is the ‘Off-Side Rule’. In this rule, if the player crosses the defender line it becomes an offside. If you are a true fan of football you must know what are defenders.

In the game, the players are into three subcategories. The first category is Forward. Forward are players who put the ball in the net of the goal post. The second category is a Midfielder. Midfielders are players who pass the ball to the forward player. The third category is the defenders. Defenders stop the other team players to put the ball in the goal post.

In addition to all the players playing on the field, there are other players too. These are substitute players. Football is a harsh game. Because of which many players get injured. When players get injured the substitutes take their place for the rest of the game.

Furthermore, there is a referee on the field. Whenever any place does a foul the referee whistles and stops the game. The referee then gives the penalty or a free-kick to the team foul against.

Moreover, if a player injures and fouls the other team player the referee gives him a Yellow or Red Card. The yellow card is a warning card. The red card is a suspension card. This card suspends the player for the rest of the game.

Questions on My Favorite Game

Q.1 Which is the best team in the world? A.1 The team that wins the FIFA CUP held every 4 years.

Q.2 How many players play on the field? A.2 11 from each team.

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How To Write an Essay on Video Games in The Best Way?

It is often the case that students have a lot of different hobbies to spend time on during their college or high school period. It is something that circles their youth and represents an inevitable part of it. Through that stage, people usually like to explore more and learn as much as possible new things. One that has particularly been interesting to students in the last decade, especially, is playing video games. Since they started to appear in the world of hundreds of possibilities, the fun, joy, and entertainment they bring to their users have been easily detected. Today, we can witness many video games that are popular and adaptable to multiple platforms like PCs, laptops, mobile phones, Xbox, or Sony PlayStation. With that in mind, it is a call that can’t be neglected for the students who like spending thrilling moments on such activities. As writing essays are commonly part of students’ lives, questions about how to combine it with playing video games frequently come to mind. If you have the same issues, we are here to provide you with the best ways on how you should write essays about this topic.

State Definition of Video Games

If you are planning to write essays on video games, one of the first things you should do is to state a definition of it. According to the Globenewswire , this activity represents one of the most used ways for students to relax and have some fun. As this website offers plenty of useful information about multimedia content, it is often being visited by them. And, if we know that video games belong to multimedia, perhaps you should be writing about that theme first. It would be beneficial if you start researching data about multimedia in general and find out some additional information that can help you in writing your essay. The more you know, the better the outcome will be. So, do your own exploration and don’t hesitate to visit websites that offer such info. Multimedia can sometimes be misunderstood by the students, especially by the ones that are not specifically interested in this field. However, that doesn’t stop them from playing video games, right? After all, what can persuade them not to play some PES, FIFA, or Counter-Strike with their friends?

Collect The Data About Genres of The Games

As the use of technology and its features increases by each day, it usually implies bigger amounts of video games on the market. As every year often comes up with some new game or exciting update of the ones that already exist, something that your essay should cover are the genres of it. Every individual has their own preferences. Some people like to play adventure-based games while others like sports, for example. It is all-natural. But if you want your essay to be top-notch, you must get knowledge about genres of video games. It wouldn’t be necessary to write about every single one of them though. In the sea of genres like RPG (role-playing games), first-person shooter, horror adventures, survivals, and many others, you can select a few of the most popular ones and focus on them. Write about them in general. What is their purpose? What do they bring to the players? How have they been founded? Make sure to provide brief answers to those questions.

Don’t Forget to Mention Games’ History

It is well-known that in the modern world students like to hire professional writers online that will do the job for them. Pre-written essays for sale are becoming more and more wanted. But do you wonder how those writers are able to offer their services with such confidence? Despite their probable education level or experience, they always make sure to dig out all information available about the topic they will write about. If we take video games, for example, something they definitely wouldn’t skip to search is their history. So, you should do exactly the same. Make sure to reach the deepest places on the Internet and sites that are displayed even on the 5th or 6th page in the Google search bar. If the website is not well advertised or shown on the 1st page, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t contain useful data. You can always find valuable info only if you research it in-depth. Don’t forget to mention different eras of video games and how they have developed throughout history. From the beginning of the 2000s and Console Wars, across the Network Games Era in the 2010s, all the way to currently present ESports and VR games in the 2020s.

Use Colorful Examples

Something that is constantly present in today’s world is a sense of fear and doubt in the credibility of things online. As you know, writing services are legal , the same as many well-rated websites on the Internet. So, instead of having doubts about games’ reliability or their publishers, focus on including some colorful examples in your essay. It will make your work much easier to understand and boost its authentication. Providing information through examples is never the wrong way to express your thoughts. Make sure to illustrate interesting parts from the games that need such a presentation. If they don’t need it, it will surely increase the readers’ mood and make them able to see the actual gameplay. What more can they ask for?

Playing video games is an activity that will be present for many future generations. Writing essays about them will not only increase your knowledge about this topic but also provide others with useful data. Just think about how your work can inspire them and allow them to learn something new. Cool feeling, isn’t it?

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Importance Of Games And Sports Essay

Importance of Games and Sports Essay

500+ words essay on the importance of games and sports.

Through the ages, the sport has been known to affect various cultures, traditions, and values in our society. Many people have favourite games, sports, teams, stars, or events, such as the Olympic Games or World Championships. Many people dedicate much time to learning more about their favourite games and sports. They attend sports events in support of their favourite athletes and teams. Many children have aspirations of becoming like their favourite players, yet very few actually get the opportunity to play against or alongside their childhood idols. Sport receives an inordinate amount of media attention and has attracted the interest of people, especially when it comes to Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games. In this importance of sports and games essay, students will get to know the benefits of playing different sports and games. By going through sports and games essays, students get enough information so they can write essays in their own words.

Games and Sports

The words games and sports are mostly used together. But both of them are different. A game is an activity involving more players, defined by a goal that the players try to reach and some set of rules to play it. A person who participates in a game is known as a player. By masses, games are played primarily for entertainment or enjoyment. The difference of purpose differentiates sport from the game, combined with the notion of individual or team skill.

A sport is a physical activity carried out under an agreed set of rules, for competition or self-enjoyment or a combination of these. Sports are the kind of activities in which a similar kind of body movement is repeated over a long time. For example, swimming and running. The sport involves an activity or activities where the mental capabilities of the sportsperson are judged. In a sport, it is the sportsperson or the individual who determines the outcome. A person participating in a sport is called an athlete or a sportsperson.

Advantages of Games and Sports

Most people play a sport as a hobby or for the love of the game. They are immensely pleased with the advantages of the sport. Playing games and sports improves health and fitness, provides mental peace and calmness and makes them more active. Sporting activities and games give everyone an opportunity to achieve the personal benefits of sport involvement. These activities aim at the optimum physical, mental and social development of an individual.

Games and sports in some form or other have been a part of human life either for survival or for pleasure. Gradually human beings started organising events, including games and sports, as community events. Consequently, the need was felt to acquire specific skills and advancement in many sports. Each sport has its specific skills which need to be developed for playing correctly. Rules and regulations of the sports are revised from time to time by their federations.

Games and sports are essential to enjoy overall health and well-being. Sports and games offer numerous advantages and are thus highly recommended for everyone, irrespective of their age. Playing games and sports maintains the human figure and provides strength, patience and endurance. All doctors recommend exercising as a preventive measure for all types of diseases. One of the best workouts for the body is daily exercise or playing any type of outdoor game or sport. People active in sports have better health than those who do not participate in sports as they are physically and mentally prepared for new challenges in their life.

With the help of this sports and games essay, students must have understood the importance of games and sports in our life. They can also practise more essays on various topics to improve their writing section.

Frequently asked Questions on Sports Essay

How can we promote various sports among students.

Schools should introduce different sports and encourage students to actively participate in all of them.

What is the national game of India?

Hockey is the national game of India.

Why are sports important for elderly people also?

Reduced risk of several diseases, and stronger joints and muscles are some of the reasons why elderly people should also play sports.

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Persuasive Essay: Video Games

Teenagers today often spend a great deal of time playing video games. These games are fun and engaging and young people often feel like playing games is a great thing to do in their spare time. However, you shouldn’t spend too much time gaming and there are a number of reasons for this: it’s unhealthy, you should spend more time studying, and you need to socialize more.

The primary reason to cut down on gaming time has to be that youths that spend a long time on computers and games consoles are often not getting enough exercise. With high obesity rates, it’s very important for young people to spend as much time being active as possible, especially since studies show that people who are overweight during childhood and adolescence are far more likely to become overweight adults than those of a healthy weight when they’re young. There is just as much, if not more, fun to be had in getting out and about and being active. This doesn’t have to mean going for long runs if that’s not your thing; team sports are both fun and great exercise. Dance or fitness classes are also a good option for those not into sports.

Secondly, getting a good education is that best thing that you can do for your future. If every teenager cut down on their gaming time by 30 minutes per day and used this time to study, the whole of that generation would achieve better results and be more likely to have the career that they want. With education, you get out what you put in, so it’s really up to you to put in the additional effort. If you want to go to a good college, extra study in your own time will be completely vital, but gaming can reduce your concentration span and make this more difficult.

The third main reason that playing video games too often is that it’s no good for your social skills. Some teenagers may argue that because they can now play their games online with friends, they are socializing in their own way. However, you can’t beat face-to-face contact, and if you want to succeed in interviews and build good relationships in later life, you need to develop some proper communication skills. This shouldn’t be a chore, or difficult, because hanging out with friends is far more fun than sitting indoors playing on games all day anyway!

In conclusion, there can be no doubt that spending too much time gaming isn’t good for you. You don’t have to stop all together, but it’s all about moderation. Cut down and allocate your additional free time to doing things that are good for you, and you definitely won’t regret it in later life.

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Essay on Computer Games

Students are often asked to write an essay on Computer Games in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Computer Games

What are computer games.

Computer games are interactive activities played using a computer. They are created by game developers who use different types of software. These games can be played alone or with others online. They come in many styles, like puzzles, adventures, or sports games.

Types of Computer Games

There are many types of computer games. Some are educational, helping you learn new things. Others are just for fun. Action games, strategy games, and simulation games are some types. Each game has its own unique story and challenges.

Benefits of Computer Games

Playing computer games can have benefits. They can improve hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. Some games also help to learn new languages or facts. They can even help to make new friends when played online.

Drawbacks of Computer Games

Too much time playing games can be harmful. It can lead to less time for homework or physical activity. It’s important to balance game time with other activities. Parents should monitor their children’s gaming habits.

In conclusion, computer games can be fun and educational. They can help to develop skills and make learning enjoyable. But, they should be enjoyed responsibly. Too much gaming can lead to problems. It’s all about balance.

Also check:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer Games
Paragraph on Computer Games

250 Words Essay on Computer Games

Computer games are fun activities played on a computer. They are a popular form of entertainment that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. These games come in many different types, like action, adventure, puzzle, and sports games.

How do Computer Games Work?

A computer game works by following instructions given by the player through a keyboard, mouse, or game controller. The game responds to these instructions by showing changes on the computer screen. This could be a character moving, a puzzle being solved, or a ball being kicked.

Benefits of Playing Computer Games

Playing computer games can have many benefits. They can help improve skills like problem-solving and hand-eye coordination. Some games can also help in learning new things, like history or science. They can even help in making new friends when played online with others.

While computer games can be fun and beneficial, playing them too much can cause problems. Spending too much time playing games can lead to less time for studies, physical activities, and socializing. It’s important to balance game time with other activities.

Computer games are a fun and popular form of entertainment. They can help improve skills and can be a source of learning. But, it’s also important to remember not to spend too much time playing them and to balance game time with other activities.

500 Words Essay on Computer Games

Computer games are interactive entertainment where you control what happens on the screen. You can play them on many devices, like computers, consoles, or smartphones. They are designed to challenge and entertain you. You can play them alone or with friends.

There are many types of computer games. Some are called action games because they need fast reactions. Adventure games take you on a journey, and you must solve puzzles to move forward. There are also sports games where you can play football, basketball, or other sports. Strategy games make you think and plan your moves carefully. In simulation games, you can create your own world or drive a car or plane.

The Good Side of Computer Games

Computer games can be fun and exciting. They can help you relax after a hard day at school. They can also help you learn new things. For example, some games teach you about history or science. Others can help you improve your problem-solving skills or reaction time.

Playing games can also help you make friends. Many games let you play with people from all over the world. You can work together to win the game or compete against each other for fun.

The Bad Side of Computer Games

While computer games can be fun, they can also cause problems if you play too much. Spending too much time playing games can make you forget about other important things like homework, sports, or spending time with family and friends.

Also, some games can make you feel angry or upset if you lose. It’s important to remember that it’s just a game, and losing is part of playing.

How to Enjoy Computer Games Safely

To enjoy computer games safely, you should set a limit on how much time you spend playing. You should also take breaks to rest your eyes and stretch your body.

It’s also important to play games that are suitable for your age. Some games have violent or scary content that is not good for young players.

Remember, computer games are meant to be fun. If a game is making you feel upset or angry, it’s a good idea to stop playing and do something else for a while.

In conclusion, computer games can be a fun way to relax and learn new things. But it’s important to play them safely and not let them take over your life.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Self Knowledge
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Essay on Self Learning

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

The Field of Dreams Approach: On Writing About Video Games

Tony Tulathimutte on the future of video game criticism

Every year, more and more great essays are published on literary sites concerning video games. In the past year I’ve especially loved entries like Janet Frishberg’s “On Playing Games, Productivity, and Right Livelihood,” Joseph Spece’s “A Harvest of Ice,” and Adam Fleming Petty’s “The Spatial Poetics of Nintendo: Architecture, Dennis Cooper, and Video Games.” But for each great essay there are a handful of others written like apologies, seemingly perennial pleas to take video games seriously as a form of meaningful narrative.

I hoped to have a conversation with a writer about games that went a little deeper. There were two main reasons I turned to the Whiting Award-winning writer Tony Tulathimutte. The first was because of his response in an interview with Playboy , in which he said that his interest in gaming probably “had something to do with my desire to bend or break formal conventions in fiction.” The second was his three thousand word essay about Clash of Clans , “Clash Rules Everything Around Me,” which was exactly the type of essay about gaming I wanted to see more of. Tulathimutte is the author of Private Citizens , which we listed as one of the 25 best novels of 2016 .

What I want is long-form literary criticism. But writers should just write what they want to read. The body of work will be there and the audience will follow it. The ‘ Field of Dreams’ approach.

Graham Oliver: Can we have this conversation without getting stuck trying to legitimize video games as a medium?

Tony Tulathimutte: “Are video games art?” “Have we had the video game Citizen Kane yet?”

GO: That’s such a boring and overdone conversation. I think it’s more interesting to look at the ways in which video games actually do interact with literature, and not to hold the conversation just as a demonstration of our respect.

TT: Take the respect for granted and go from there. I thought about starting a literary magazine about video games a while back, but the discourse had by then become so toxic that, even with the most anodyne academic essay you could write, the best you could hope for was that it would be ignored. There needs to be more space for this kind of writing, but I just didn’t want to wade into it then. I feel a little better about it now, which is why I did the Clash of Clans essay.

GO: What is the difference between video game-related essays showing up on a literary site, versus a site where the primary purpose is the intersection of video games and literature? What could that site do that can’t be done (or isn’t being done) otherwise?

TT: Part of it is just volume. You can’t have a general interest magazine like the New Yorker covering video games to the same depth or degree as it does film or music or even theater. Every big magazine at this point covers video games occasionally — I know the New Yorker has written about Minecraft and No Man’s Sky , for instance. New York Magazine just did a big essay on gaming more broadly.

But for some reason, there’s no video game editor at the New Yorker , no dedicated departments or verticals, except at newer places like VICE, Vox , The Verge . Unlike music or movies, video games aren’t equally distributed through the culture; it’s more compartmentalized. This owes in part to a marketing apparatus around games that caters to and fosters a specific audience, and because the audience for certain genres — responding to these pressures — became self-selecting, especially with respect to gender. Video games may be art, but they are also a STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] industry, which makes them no different from any other STEM field in that regard.

GO: It’s a question of access. I was thinking about your Clash essay; you have this entire paragraph that has to explain this massively popular and mechanically fairly simple game. Does that automatically turn off an audience who are already proficient in those basics? In which case, are you only writing for people who don’t game? I suppose that’s another conundrum of coverage in a general interest publication…

TT: If you read an essay by Susan Sontag or Martin Amis about the great books, or by André Bazin about film, they can assume a certain level of knowledge about the text or film from their audience. I can write that way about games on my own time and my own dime, but there’s no presumed canon or general readership for games, because they’re not taught in schools and not regularly discussed in big publications. So you either write for the diehards — the equivalent of film buffs or bookworms — or for novices.

GO: Is that why we haven’t had novels which interact with video games the way David Foster Wallace did with tennis, or Ann Patchett with opera? Neither of their books included explanatory paragraphs; it’s so ingrained in our culture that it seems almost impossible to have grown up without some idea of what tennis or opera are.

TT: Most people have played a game, and the average gamer spends six hours a week playing them. I think it has less to do with the medium inherently than just the failure of writers who have approached the subject. I haven’t read everything on games, but so far, the fledgling efforts have been too literal or kind of corny. Some writers seem to think that you’re supposed to transpose the form of games into fiction — to provide this very lightly remediated experience of reading a book so that it feels like you’re playing a game.

The last thing you want to do is create a watered-down experience of gaming in a text. A book should still work as a book. It’s the usual difficulty of writing about other mediums; there’s that old chestnut that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. But there are special considerations for how to write about any form in a way that conveys deep presence and vividness comparable to the experience itself.

GO: When you’re writing about games in one form or another, do you find you prefer to write for someone who is like you — very interested in both writing and video games — or is your preference for someone in that liminal space somewhere between them?

TT: I approach it as I do with all my creative writing, which is to write for the audience of Tony. That frees to me to write things irrespective of their publishability. Right now I’m working on a long essay about Metal Gear Solid — the whole series. That’s between ten and twenty games, depending on which ones you call canon. The dialogue alone stacks up to something like sixty thousand words each. And the companion synopsis is almost three thousand words. I’m just trying to make points about the series that haven’t been made before. Would Kill Screen or The New York Review of Books ever run that? Hell to the fuck no.

If writers keep doing this, eventually there will be a readership equipped to deal with it. For the longest time there have been really smart people playing video games and wondering where all the good criticism was. It’s a discoverability issue, to a certain extent. There’s so much good writing out there about games, but most games-writing outlets cater to fairly niche perspectives. Action Button is extremely good, irreverent creative criticism, probably my favorite. Five Out of Ten is academically oriented, Kill Screen is mainstream journalism. What I want is long-form literary criticism. But writers should just write what they want to read. The body of work will be there and the audience will follow it. The Field of Dreams approach.

GO: You said earlier (and you’ve also mentioned it in your Playboy interview) that the discourse around games is toxic and partisan. Are you talking about within or outside of the gaming community?

TT: All of it. Partisan lines have been drawn within it for purposes far beyond aesthetic disagreement. In part because so much of this discourse occurs in a medium where people are not held accountable for their words, i.e. on the internet.

GO: How does that compare to conversations within the literary community? You’ve written before, for instance, about the MFA vs. NYC debate .

TT: I want to do my part to de-estrange gaming discourse. Not de-stigmatize or demystify, but de-estrange. This cancerous shit happens everywhere — it just happens in a spectacularly aggressive and organized way in gaming.

GO: When you’re not actually writing about video games, what place do they hold in your life? Are they the stress relief at the end of the day, the reward after two hours of writing? Or something you try to avoid when you’re in the middle of a big project?

TT: I’ve played video games since I was three years old. I have loved video games a lot longer than I’ve loved literature — which is not to say more. Actually… yeah, probably more. It just so happens that I’m a writer. I don’t feel the guilt that some people do who, even if they enjoy gaming, approach it feeling as if it’s a waste of time, or a form of entertainment which takes them away from their “real life.” You wouldn’t condemn a cineaste or a lover of literature. But a fug of non-respectability still attends video games.

That said, the reward mechanisms in most games are designed to get you hooked in cognitive motivational ways that don’t apply to most literature. So it’s absolutely possible for games to displace other things that you would want to do just as much. I don’t struggle to fit them into my life, but I probably would, if my life consisted of much more than just teaching and writing.

GO: I suppose I was thinking more about the effect on your mental state. For instance, I have to save video games for the end of the day, because I have a hard time going from the almost meditative state of game-playing into writing. How does it fit in, not in the sense of time but in how it interacts with your ability to produce writing afterwards?

TT: If a visual narrative enters my head before I start writing, it’s enormously difficult to pull myself back into writing. A huge amount of psychic inertia has to be overcome to transition from consuming a narrative to assembling one. I have a lot of wacko bird theories as to why. Perhaps language is such an information-poor medium that it demands a sparseness of input, so that you can have room to envision or create new stuff in your head. Maybe the act of viewing, which puts you in the posture of evaluation and judgment, beefs up the inner critic that makes it hard to write. That’s all pure superstition, I have nothing to base that on.

GO: What about when it comes to the type of video game? You’ve mentioned playing DotA 2 in other interviews, which is very different from more narrative-heavy single player games. In the middle of a big writing project, do you find yourself drawn more to one type of game over another?

TT: With the caveat that writers are the worst self-appraisers, I’ll say that I have not noticed any influence from the type of games I’m playing on what I write. I think games engage an entirely different part of my brain, which might also account for the difficulty I have toggling between those two modes. That said, I think longer games can work like long books — immersively — where you have to pinch your nose and take a deep breath before plunging into the Neapolitan books and it just becomes the medium you swim in for months. Some games demand a higher or more frequent degree of engagement to get any kind of nuance at all. You can play a thousand hours of DotA 2 , without coming anywhere near understanding it.

GO: How does that compare to the relationship between reading and your own work? Do you avoid other people’s writing when working, or do you keep books on your desk for the sake of referencing them?

TT: I do. I try to keep a messy puddle of books around my work area, in case I want to steal something from somebody else. But I Google as much as I refer to other books. I don’t disconnect from the internet when I’m writing, like some writers who have this almost mystical anathema against technology. I generally find I benefit from my procrastination.

You can have a rom-com game, a campus game, an adultery game, or a boring-but-important game that will get taught in high schools circa 2110.

GO: You referred to language as being information-poor a minute ago, which reminds me of the AGNI essay you wrote on boredom. The thesis of that essay was basically that boredom in literature is okay. Can you also apply that idea to video games? Can there be meaningful or productive boredom while playing, through the act of repetition, for instance? I just played Her Story, which I know you enjoyed, and while it has a super interesting story you have to slog through a certain amount of repetition to get to it.

TT: The democratization of game creation is producing a wider range of games, like the Super 8 camera did with film. You can have vignette-style games like Nina Freeman’s — Cibele , how do you Do It? , Freshman Year , etc. You can have “walking simulators” that are almost purely meditative, like Gone Home , Firewatch , or Dear Esther . I just saw a piece on a game based on Thoreau’s Walden .

The impulses and tendencies that make people want to create literature are present. It will happen more as people are able to do what they want to do, without enormous corporate financial support or even crowdfunding, which, to an extent, just moves the bottom line to having to be crowd-pleasing. Games can be plenty boring in spite of themselves, even if that’s not what they’re trying to do. It’s a cliché by now to point out that the most time investment-heavy games like World of Warcraft consist largely of “grinding.” Or, if you play something like DotA 2 , queuing for a game.

GO: For DotA 2 you also have to spend a lot of time reading up on viable builds. Work that’s not in actually playing the game.

TT: Yes, although I will say that that intellectual work doesn’t feel like tedious labor to me. I have fun looking up builds. The deep strategy and understanding are coextensive with the pleasure of playing the game.

Moments of boredom are built into games for reasons that range from comedy to suspense. I think a lot about the moment in Final Fantasy VI where you’re directed to just wait at the edge of a floating continent for a character to come along. On the one hand you’re sitting watching a clock tick down. On the other hand, it’s extremely tense.

Contrasting aesthetic effects in games to those in other media is not always productive, because it’s like playing Twenty Questions. Can games do X like books? Can games do Y like films? In the same way we should assume games are art, and that there’s an audience out there hungry to make something of them, we should assume that games can do anything. You can have a rom-com game, a campus game, an adultery game, or a boring-but-important game that will get taught in high schools circa 2110.

GO: I go to these academic conferences where a similar conversation is happening among professors who write in the field of gaming studies. Some bring in literary and film theory, and try to lay that on top of video games, while others reject that. The tools and the language are already there from other fields, so it seems easy. On the other hand, it can be kind of reductive, and perhaps prevents you from having the more meaningful conversation.

TT: Right, or even just the conversation you’re trying to have. There are also those efforts to create a language around game studies, partly I think try to legitimatize it in the eyes of the academy. You get people going on about the Ludologists versus the Narratologists, about ludonarrative dissonance, copping these quasi-academic terms. I can see the point of systematizing things, but my favorite criticism helps you not to just describe and understand, but to enjoy stuff more.

GO: How much do you worry about the effect that being an “out” gamer will have on your literary career?

TT: If I were bashful or coy about my love of video games I wouldn’t do this interview. The same goes for pornography or television. Even the language of being “out” implies a political and social pressure or an importance that just doesn’t exist. I’d hate to believe that being a writer means living in a constant state of deposition, publicizing everything you do, think, or feel. The fact that I like video games isn’t interesting. Video games are interesting. I love talking about them with smart people, both within and outside of gaming culture. But I’m also perfectly happy to be left alone with them.

GO: Do you hope there’s a day around the corner where a game developer decides to make a narrative-heavy game like Life is Strange , Her Story , or Kentucky Route Zero , and they look at a list of literary authors to figure out who should write it?

TT: Not at all. I believe that I can do a lot of things in writing, but I haven’t felt an urge to create a video game since the third grade. It’s always good to have some kind of interest that is totally pure, where you’re going to be an eternal fan, because sausage-making can disillusion you fast. If part of the charge of art comes from mystique or sheer baffled admiration, that’s something I want to preserve in at least a few departments of my life.

GO: As a writer, you’re expected to be both a creator and a thoughtful critic as well. It seems like once you publish a book, there is an expectation that you’ll be reviewing or blurbing for other books for the rest of your life. How does your approach to writing about literature differ from your essays on games?

TT: I review books as a practitioner; I know what goes into putting one together, so I can pan one that isn’t well-made. I write about games as an appreciator, in that I want to take something I like and enlarge people’s sense of pleasure or wonder at it. This doesn’t mean that I can’t be critical of a game. I have negative things to say about everything. But because I’m not highly qualified to trivialize or disparage a game on the level of craft — for instance, a sunbeam in a video game might look shitty and aliased because of technological or budgetary constraints that I’m not aware of — my main task is to study its narrative and to add value.

GO: You’ve been thinking about games critically for a long time. I read that you wrote your theses — both in undergrad and for your first master’s degree — on video game interaction. What were you looking at in those?

TT: I majored in something called Symbolic Systems, which would be called cognitive sciences anywhere else. They add linguistics and philosophy to the standard curriculum of formal logic, computer science, and cognitive psychology. I applied the extremely specific language of human-computer interaction studies to video games. So I wrote pretty dry literature surveys of game-writing and interaction theory, and how the latter could be applied to the former.

One was about game controller design, which ended up anticipating the Nintendo Wii controller by a couple of years. I talked about the potential for modular design and gestural input. The second thesis was about menus. They’re the basis of turn-based RPGs, and in games their definitional boundaries are weird. Take the Warp Zone Pipes in Super Mario Brothers . You go over a ceiling and drop into a room where you’re invited to select one of three pipes to go through. It is very clearly a menu, where you’re selecting one of three options, but it’s also a part of the action.

God, I sound so stoned when I talk about this.

GO: I hate to keep mentioning Her Story , but I just started it today. In that game, the user interface also has this blurry boundary. You read a ReadMe file to learn how to use the system, but that’s all part of the in-game computer you interact with as part of the story.

TT: Yeah, it’s brilliant. Any computer interaction can be extrapolated into a game premise. Here it’s basically Database Search: The Game, but it’s fun and well written. To analogize with literature, there are plenty of stories whose premise comes from its formal conceit. My favorite is “ Going for a Beer ” by Robert Coover. He takes a simple sentence gimmick — where two things that happen at different times are written as though they’re simultaneous — and it becomes the conceit of the story. The story is, “what if your life was composed of moments with endings and beginnings but no middles?”

GO: Form matching content. That happens in all types of art, right? There was a piece on Hamilton which pointed out that, as the first half progresses, the Marquis de Lafayette’s rhymes get denser and faster, coinciding with him being in America and increasingly speaking English. The music reflects the plot.

TT: Form generating content, I would say. It’s a classical idea. Sometimes it’s done very explicitly, like with Oulipo. It can be super corny, but it’s a dependable source of inspiration.

It’s Tristram Shandy-levels of batshit.

GO: Going back to your idea for a game-writing website, were you imagining a place that just collected the kind of long-form writing you want to see, or were you also imagining a community that would be built around it?

TT: I am not too concerned with building community. The idea was simply to get critical essays on games — not fiction, poetry, reviews, or personal essays, but literary analysis. Like the essay I’m working on about the Metal Gear Solid series… So many of the male characters lose their hands and are sterile and have daddy issues and misinterpret the will of one female character, The Boss. Aside from the glaring Freudian overtones, what’s that about? This is not stuff that figures into the plot as it plays out, but is something that I think screams out for conversation.

GO: I was a Nintendo kid and then jumped to PC gaming, so I never got into the Metal Gear games.

TT: It’s like the Infinite Jest of games. As far as I know, it’s the longest continuous scripted narrative in games. You can make a strained case for things like Zelda or Metroid , but this is the most sustained vision from an auteurist figure, Hideo Kojima, and it’s just bonkers. It’s Tristram Shandy -levels of batshit.

GO: Well, that sells it. I now have to ask the big, speculative question, since you just called it the Infinite Jest of games. What do you think David Foster Wallace’s writing would have been like, had he been obsessed with video games rather than television?

TT: This question is so enormously counterfactual it might as well be a novel. The guy was hugely tech-avoidant. He typed with one finger on an old computer. But games seem very contiguous with his concerns in Infinite Jest . Though who’s to say Virginia Woolf wouldn’t have also gotten equally invested in games? Wallace is a gimme because of the technological overlap, but to me the more interesting speculative question is, What would a game written by P.G. Wodehouse be like? I want to see an essay on that .

How to Have Fun Destroying Yourself: An Interview with Tony Tulathimutte, Author of Private Citizens

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ESL Writing Worksheet: Opinion Essay About Video Games (Intermediate)

In this writing worksheet, you are going to find exercises that will help students elevate their writing skills and practice the structure of an opinion essay on the topic “Are Video Games Good for Youngsters?”.

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There is an example of a short opinion essay on this topic, plus a multiple section where students can check their understanding of this type of writing, a section for practicing useful words and phrases for opinion essays plus practical tips for writing an opinion essay. The exercises are tailored to intermediate (B1) students.

Preparation Notes for the Teachers

Required time: 45 – 60 min

To prepare:

Prepare a discussion that covers the topic of the pros of video games.

As a warm-up, tell students that you all know that playing too many video games for too long can be harmful for the mental and physical being of a person. However, this activity is also fun and some games are really engaging and intelligently made, so players see many good reasons about why they should play them.

Ask students: How many hours per day do they play video games? What is their favorite video game and why? Are video games a good way to socialize? Are video games a good way to learn new English words? Are there any other benefits?

An Opinion Essay: Are Video Games Good for Youngsters?

In this worksheet, you will find exercises that will help you strengthen your writing skills and learn how to write an opinion essay on the topic “Are Video Games Good for Youngsters?”.

You will also learn some useful words and phrases for opinion essays, plus practical tips for writing an opinion essay.

What is your favorite video game and why? Are video games a good way to socialize? Are video games a good way to learn new English words? Are there any other benefits?

Discuss briefly with your teacher and the class, then answer the questions in Exercise A, B, C, D, and E.

Read the questions before answering to make sure you understand them.

Are Video Games Good for Youngsters?

Today, many young people play video games on their electronic devices, at home, at their friends’ houses and many of them say that playing video games is their favorite activity. These games are good for young people because of several reasons.

First of all, I think that video games are a good way to train your brain. There are many popular games in which players need to have high levels of thinking, follow instructions, solve complex problems and use logic. In my opinion , these games are fun, and you can learn many things from them. Moreover , you can play them with friends online, so you can hang out and socialize even if you have long-distance friendships.

In addition , you can learn a lot of new English words if you play video games. Some people think that you learn best in classes and while listening to music or watching films. Although this is true, there are many excellent students who learn English from video games because they spend most of their free time playing.

Finally, I believe that video games are good because they are fun and intelligent. I think that they are a good alternative to communicate with friends when you can’t see them in person and learn many new things together.

A. Understanding the Opinion Essay

1. Read the above essay, then choose and circle the 6 ideas that are mentioned in the essay.

a) Video games can increase your intelligence and ability to think.

b) Too many young people are obsessed with video games.

c) Playing video games online is good for socializing.

d) You can play video games even when you are not at home.

e) It is better to learn English in person than online.

f) Many students do well in English because they play video games.

g) There more reasons why playing video games is good for young people.

h) Many video games may help young people with problem-solving.

B. Expressing Opinion

2. Match the words and phrases that have a similar meaning. *Reminder: some of these words and phrases are underlined in the opinion essay in Exercise A.

a) I disagree that… ____________________________________

b) Finally…____________________________________

c) Nowadays…____________________________________

d) In addition…____________________________________

e) In fact…____________________________________

f) First of all…___________________________________

g) I believe that…____________________________________

Tips for Writing an Opinion Essay

Write your essay in 3-4 paragraphs. Start each paragraph with phrases like First, Moreover, To conclude.
Express your opinion using phrases like In my opinion, I believe, I think that. Always support your opinion with 1-2 arguments, i.e., why you think so.
Mention opinions that are different from yours. Use phrases like “Some people think/believe“ and then explain why you don’t agree with them. Always explain why you disagree with 1-2 arguments.

C. Write an Opinion Essay

3. Write an opinion essay with the title ‘Are video games good for youngsters?’ Write the essay below and give your opinion.

Download this worksheet (including key) in Word and PDF doc format (zipped)

Additional Resources

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Games

Categories: Video Games Violence in Video Games

About this sample

Words: 1148 |

Published: Feb 9, 2022

Words: 1148 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Introduction, video games: advantages and disadvantages, works cited.

Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., & Seitz, A. R. (2013). Learning through action video games. Nature, 12, 135-138.
Chang, Y. C., & Huang, Y. M. (2015). Learning by playing: A cross-sectional descriptive study of nursing students’ knowledge acquisition in digital and non-digital games. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 18(1), 128-140.
Ferguson, C. J. (2015). Do angry birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children's and adolescents' aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 646-666.
Gentile, D. A., Anderson, C. A., Yukawa, S., Ihori, N., Saleem, M., Ming, L. K., . . . Sakamoto, A. (2009). The effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behaviors: International evidence from correlational, longitudinal, and experimental studies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(6), 752-763.
Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66-78.
Hilgard, J., Engelhardt, C. R., & Rouder, J. N. (2017). Overstated evidence for short-term effects of violent games on affect and behavior: A reanalysis of Anderson et al. (2010). Psychological Bulletin, 143(7), 757-774.
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin.
Russoniello, C. V., O’Brien, K., & Parks, J. M. (2009). The effectiveness of casual video games in improving mood and decreasing stress. Journal of Cybertherapy and Rehabilitation, 2(1), 53-66.
Subramanian, V. (2018). Digital game-based learning: A review of the effectiveness of educational games. In T. Reiners, & L. C. Wood (Eds.), Gamification in education and business (pp. 43-73). Springer International Publishing.
Vandewater, E. A., Shim, M. S., & Caplovitz, A. G. (2004). Linking obesity and activity level with children's television and video game use. Journal of Adolescent, 27(1), 71-85.

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Playing Soccer Game: Personal Experience Essay

Soccer is my favorite game which brings satisfaction and raises team spirit. Like other sports, soccer is an organized game that has become institutionalized. Last week I was playing soccer with my friends and the game was amazing: energetic and vigorous. Playing with friends in GYM, I was involved in competitions; figure skating and diving are non-interactive. This differed from not taking the game seriously, in that it involved, not a transformation of the game itself, but rather an alternative to the game that was defined as providing greater enjoyment than what would have otherwise occurred. The main equipment is a ball and goals. The soccer ball has two-toned, black and white, markings. In contrast to traditional marking, the ball we used was red and white, and we had no goals.

The game started at 4 PM and lasted 90 minutes. At the beginning of the game, we kick off a coin. During this time, all players were on their own side of the field. My team won. In contrast to the traditional shape of the field, where the size of the areas is about 100 yards in length and 50 yards wide, the shape of the areas is GYM are smaller. There are boundary lines surround the field considered part of the field. The main problem was that we did not have 11 players for each team (according to the rules of the game) but had 7-7 for each team.

During the game, I paid the main attention to team strategy and the configuration of players around the point of action. Usually, I tried to concentrate upon the position of attackers in relation to the defense and overall the success of each attack. Each time the cross occurred, I crossed the area in front of the defense. During this very game, the important step was possession of the ball which switched back and forth between the teams. My team several times lost possession when they made a bad pass, sent the ball out of bounds. When possession of the ball changed from my team to the other, the attacking team became the defense, and my team became the offense.

Because this happens very frequently during a game, it was important for my team to make the transition quickly. As a true sports fan, I spend every hour of the waking day keeping track of the various teams and the thousands of athletes involved. During the first match, I tried to apply all possible techniques to help my team lead a score. My team felt frustration became we could not score a goal for half an hour. We used different tactics and strategies but the opposite team defended its positions and gates.

This game for me was a challenge to force others to keep their attention on the task. In terms of motivation, the game last week was all the necessary ingredients to be intrinsically motivating. The activities themselves were interesting and exciting (at least for some people); challenge and mastery were central components; and participation is, in most cases, voluntary. Certainly in soccer players seem to need no prods or incentives to play; the direct, experiential rewards derived from the activity seem to be enough to maintain their involvement.

Last week, it was difficult to describe the ratio of attackers to defenders in particular events, while simultaneously assessing the space between a defender and an attacker in possession of the ball. Successful attacks made by my team have resulted in 10 goals, an intermediate attack resulted in a non-scoring shot on goal.

During the whole game, I was good at receiving the ball. In this game, players of my team received balls from different directions and heights. I used different parts of the body to receive the ball except for my hands and arms. The proper technique for controlling the ball and maintaining possession was to cushion the ball’s impact by relaxing and slightly withdrawing the part of the body receiving the ball, with the most common parts being the foot, thigh, and chest. This play was not just a game but emotional cooperation with my friends.

To this emotional charge, players responded in various ways. The behavior players saw during the excitement becomes tied to all types of courageous as well as cowardly behavior. During the second set, my friends and I performed far beyond their usual expectations whereas others suddenly fell below their usual game. The emotion tied to the game produces not only unexpected circumstances but unexpected behaviors. The second match carried an immense appeal. No two contests could ever be repeated exactly, and we were constantly expecting the unexpected. Last week, there were no severe penalties against players of both teams. The break between matches was at 4:45 PM.

During this time, my team planed and discussed our drawbacks in defense and created new tactics and strategies for the play. We decided to attack the other team from the very first moment in order to exhaust them till the end of the match. This strategy helped us to end with an equal number of goals. The second match started at 5:05 PM. In contrast to the traditional 15-minute break, both teams took more time to create a new strategy.

Last week, the game was slow thus players of both teams were on the run constantly. The main players were defenders and goalies. Because of an inefficient number of players, we lacked forwards and midfielders. Players from the opposite team touched the ball with arms several times during the second match. As you know, the main rule is that players cannot touch the ball with arms except the goalkeeper. The goal of my team was to obtain ends beyond the simple benefits of participation in the game.

The game was not an end in itself, but a path to other desired ends through the resolution of competition. Soccer involved other people and was highly structured or seriously regarded. During the game last week, most of the goals were made from shots. For me the most difficult technique in the shooting was accuracy. I suppose that effective shooting was not only a technique but mathematical thinking and calculation.

The end of the game was vigorously marked by competition and a desire to win. Furthermore, soccer almost invariably involved competition; individuals or teams attempted to beat other teams. The game last week was interactive where there was a critical defensive. Soccer is often called a low-scoring game because it is difficult for two teams to make a goal. During the second match, in order to faster the result, my team used shooting.

The game ended at 6 PM, thus we needed additional time. When a game ended with an equal number of goals having been scored by each team, the game was tied and ends in a draw. Thus, overtime periods were used to determine a winner, followed by a tie-breaker—a series of penalty kicks taken by players from both teams. After five shots were taken by each team, my team won the game. According to rules, if the teams are still tied, they continue to take shots, one at a time, until one team scores and the other does not. At the end of the game, we were tired but happy, we felt excitement and pleasure.

I liked the game last week because it showed me and my friends that sports like soccer build character. A comparison has often been made between the athletic field and the battlefield. Last week, every team member was directly responsible, and that all things attained from players were good for the growth and development of a team spirit. The game was supposed to bring out the best in us. There can be little doubt that the athletic area has become a center for taking care of our emotional needs. We participated in and were spectators of the emotional charge. If players did not provide excitement it would be gone in a short period.

The main advantage of the game last week was the fact that all players admired and respected the talent of other team players. Playing soccer, my team restored and rejuvenated energies to work and deal with life by playing. Fatigue and boredom were relieved by using the body physically in temporally novel ways. I admired the game last week because like all games, it shared the goal of victory. In short, as much as anything else, soccer was a form of occupation for the players who participated in them. Soccer was the object of cooperation and team spirit. Some of my friends, came to the GYM to support my team and me. Many fans were functionally members of the team group.

At the same time, this craze was taking place in professional athletics, it was being matched, if not superseded, by the fanaticism on the college level. The collegiate system was so close to the professionals that the average person can barely determine the difference between the two.

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Sample Essays

Computer Games Essay

This page analyzes a computer games essay and also notes how you can make good use of the question to plan and organize your essay.

You have to be careful with this essay as although you have to discuss the pros and cons of the issue, there is a second part to the question that is not about this.

Take a look at the IELTS task 2 question:

Nowadays many people have access to computers on a wide basis and a large number of children play computer games.

What are the positive and negative impacts of playing computer games and what can be done to minimize the bad effects?

The Topic and the Task

Remember to always analyze the question carefully. The topic should be fairly clear:

Computer games

Remember to also look carefully to see if the topic is being narrowed down to a particular aspect of the topic. In this case it is:

Now you need to check what the task is. How many things do you have to write about?

Hopefully you realized there are three things that you can easily turn into brainstorming questions:

What are the positive impacts of computer games on children?
What are the negative impacts of computer games on children?
How can the negative impacts be minimized?

Your answers to these questions will form your computer games essay.

You do not have much time and you have three things to answer, so one or two ideas for each is enough, as remember you will need to explain your ideas and give examples.

Now, take a look at the model answer.

Computer Games Essay Question:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Nowadays many people have access to computers on a wide basis and a large number of children play computer games.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

Computer Games Essay Model Answer:

Access to computers has increased significantly over recent decades, and the number of children playing games on computers has increased too. This essay will consider the positive and negative impacts of this and discuss ways to avoid the potential negative effects.

With regards to the positive effects, playing computer games can develop children’s cognitive skills. Many popular games require abstract and high level thinking skills in order to win, skills that may not be taught at school. For example, children need to follow instructions, solve complex problems and use logic in many of the games that are currently popular. Such experience will be beneficial to a child’s progression into an adult.

However, concerns have been raised about the prolific use of computer games by children, much of this related to the violence they contain. The problem is that in many of the games children are rewarded for being more violent, and this violence is repeated again and again. For instance, many games involve children helping their character to kill, kick, stab and shoot. This may lead to increased aggressive feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

In order to minimize these negative impacts, parents need to take certain steps. Firstly, some video games are rated according to their content, so parents must check this and ensure their children are not allowed to have access to games that are unsuitable. Parents can also set limits on the length of time games are played. Finally, parents should also take an active interest in the games their children are playing so they can find out how they feel about what they are observing.

To sum up, there are benefits of computer games, but there are disadvantages too. However, if parents take adequate precautions, the severity of these negative impacts can be avoided.

( 295 Words )

This computer games essay is well-organized and it directly answers the question, with each paragraph addressing one of the tasks.

Note how the topic sentences match the tasks (which have been taken from the prompt):

What are the positive impacts of computer games on children ?

With regards to the positive effects, playing computers games can develop children’s cognitive skills.

What are the negative impacts of computer games on children ?

However, concerns have been raised about the prolific use of computer games by children, much of this related to the violence they contain.

How can the negative impacts be minimized ?

In order to minimize these negative impacts, parents need to take certain steps.

This is why analyzing the question is so important. This provides you with the basic building blocks with which to write your essay.

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Student Opinion

What Do You Like About Playing Games?

What games do you love? Which ones do you like playing alone, and which do you prefer to play with others? What do you get from gaming?

People sitting around a table in a cafe playing a board game.

By Katherine Schulten

Teachers , we also have a related lesson plan about teaching with seven New York Times games .

Online or in real life, alone or with others, on a road trip, in a backyard, around a table, or on a screen: What games do you most enjoy playing? Why?

Whether you listed chess, Minecraft, Monopoly, basketball, Call of Duty, Tetris, Dungeons & Dragons, charades, crosswords, tag or Wordle, when, where and with whom are you most likely to play?

How does playing games improve your life?

In 2020, Sam Von Ehren posed the question, Why do people love games?

As the Game Maker for The New York Times, I grapple with this question every day. The reductively easy answer is simple: They’re fun! But why are they fun? Do they have to be fun? As we dig deeper and deeper, we find more questions. What even is a game? What is fun? My take on the appeal of games is also simple, if paradoxical. Games are a controlled form of freedom. Our brains grab onto them because they are structures that exist to be avoided. Games occupy a strange place in our cultural consciousness. Nearly everyone has played a game at some point in their lives. Despite that ubiquity, games are rarely discussed with the same reverence as other media like films or books. For most, games are like chocolate: a guilty pleasure consumed secretly. The game designer Sid Meier once remarked that “a game is a series of interesting choices.” Navigating these choices shapes the course of play, revealing who we are and how we think. Playing a game is an act of exposition.

More recent New York Times pieces have focused on how a new generation is changing the classics. For instance, in “ Gen Z Wanted a Scrabble More Conducive to Hanging Out. Mattel Was Happy to Oblige ,” Deb Amlen writes:

The release of Scrabble Together in Europe this week marks the first time that the game’s rules have changed since it was patented in 1948. While Mattel owns the rights to the game in much of the world, Hasbro owns the rights to Scrabble in the United States and has no plans at this time to expand the game. In the new version, a double-sided board offers the traditional game on one side and Together mode on the other. Instead of competing to see who can score the most points and show off their knowledge of obscure two-letter words, Scrabble Together encourages working with friends to conquer predetermined challenges. Players win Scrabble Together when they complete 20 challenges. If players have used up all the helper cards and cannot complete a goal, they must concede. The idea behind Together mode was to make the game more interactive and inclusive, said Ray Adler, vice president and global head of games at Mattel. Research conducted by the company revealed that competition was not as important to younger players as having a way to connect with others and have fun. The new version prioritizes teamwork in order to adapt to those changing values.

And in “ How Gen Z Made the Crossword Their Own ,” Adrienne Raphel explores how a younger generation of constructors is using an old form to reflect their identities, language and world. The article begins:

30-Across: “___ and dry food (categories I will now be using to describe human food. Oh, so suddenly it’s weird?)” 31-Across: “TikTok videos of ‘Family Guy’ clips accompanied by Subway Surfers gameplay, e.g.” 26-Down: “Lili ___, one of the first trans women to receive gender-affirming surgery” Who’s this “I” cracking jokes about WET food in the middle of a crossword clue? What is SLUDGE CONTENT doing inside a puzzle? How did we get to learn about Lili Elbe when the answer ELBE almost always refers to the German river ? Welcome to the crossword in the age of Gen Z. Clues require internet meme literacy . Solutions may reflect the identity of the person behind the puzzle. And the way they’re constructed can involve vibrant online forums in addition to scraps of paper.

Students, read any or all of these articles, then answer as many of the following questions as you like:

What are your favorite games, whether they’re ones that everyone knows or niche games you play alone, with friends or with your family? When do you most enjoy playing them?

If answers don’t come to mind immediately, consider categories. What, to you, are the best physical games? The best games you play on your phone? Your favorites on a gaming platform? The best card games? Board games? Games of skill? Games of luck?

What’s the longest time you’ve ever spent playing a game? Why do you think it kept your attention?

If you have a choice, do you prefer playing games in easy, medium or hard mode?

What were your favorite games in childhood?

How have you evolved as a game player? What have you learned from playing games?

How has gaming improved your life? What skills, if any, have you developed as a player that you have used in other areas of your life, such as at school?

What games do you least enjoy? Why?

Have you or your friends or family ever made up a game? If so, what were the rules?

Have you ever created a character for a game that helped you express yourself?

Do you agree with Mr. Von Ehren that games are helpful for “revealing who we are and how we think”? If so, what does game-playing reveal about you?

Do you enjoy watching others play games, whether in person or, say, on Twitch?

Have you found or created a community through gaming? Who is in that community, and what do you enjoy about being part of it?

Have you ever attended a game night, played at a game cafe, joined a gaming club or done any other kind of social bonding over games? What was the experience like?

Do you play games in school? Do you think your teachers should incorporate more? If so, which should they include? Why?

Some of the articles we included above are about how Generation Z is changing games that have been around for decades, like crosswords and Scrabble. Do you think your generation plays games differently than others? For instance, do you agree with Mattel’s findings that “competition was not as important to younger players as having a way to connect with others and have fun”? What have you noticed about how you, your friends and your peers play games?

What other classic games would you like to see reinvented for a new generation of players? How, and why?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Katherine Schulten has been a Learning Network editor since 2006. Before that, she spent 19 years in New York City public schools as an English teacher, school-newspaper adviser and literacy coach. More about Katherine Schulten

10 Fun Classroom Writing Games to Improve Literacy Skills

The best writing games to engage students

A colleague of mine recently shared these ten great writing game ideas to improve literacy skills in the classroom. They are simple to play and can be applied to nearly all year levels.

These are some of the best writing games that require minimal or no setup time and are an excellent option for substitute teachers looking to quickly break the ice with students or English teachers just seeking fresh ideas to brighten up their lessons. Enjoy.

Remember that if you are looking for more excellent free resources and structured guides to teaching all aspects of English, especially writing, be sure to visit literacyideas.com .

Sentence Stretching

Start with a short sentence or group of words. Pass it around to about 6 people, with the rule that each person must add (a word or a group of words) or change ONE word ( to another word or a group of words) to make the sentence more specific and more enjoyable.

Rebus writing

Students write sentences or longer texts and substitute drawings for nouns.

COMPLETE DIGITAL AND PRINT FUN WRITING UNIT

25 FUN and ENGAGING writing tasks your students can complete INDEPENDENTLY with NO PREP REQUIRED that they will love.

Fully EDITABLE and works as with all DIGITAL PLATFORMS such as Google Classroom, or you can PRINT them for traditional writing tasks.

It’s in the bag

Place an object in a bag- ensure the students don’t see it. Students feel the object in the bag and use words to describe how it feels. They take it out and add /alter their adjectives.

Touch and tell

An object is passed around a group of students. Each student suggests an adjective to describe it.

Alternative

Students provide an adjectival phrase or clause to describe the object

Students randomly select from a box a picture of an animal, person or object that moves. They brainstorm action verbs for the chosen object.

The students can supply verbs and adverbs

They can supply adjectives or adjectival groups

Read a text ( this case narrative ), and at a particular point, stop and ask students to select a character and suggest, for example:

What the character is doing, thinking, and feeling ( focus on processes)

Change the meaning- change one word

Students locate and change one word that will alter the sentence’s meaning.

They share their alterations and discuss which part of speech was the most important in changing the meaning .

Locate and classify

Read a text and ask students to write nouns on cards ( red), adjectives (blue), and articles in orange. Rearrange words to create different noun groups. Students can also locate verbs ( green card) and adverbs (yellow). Rearrange all the words to create new sentences.

Students can locate adjectival phrases, clauses, or adverbial phrases and write these on other coloured cards.

Grammar toss- Sentence making

Players must throw a 1 before they can begin. The winner is the first person to make a sentence that includes all of the following:

A group of words that tell what or who ( singular)
A group of words that tell when
A verb in the past tense
An adverb telling how
A group of words telling where

They can then rearrange the sentence parts to see how many ways they can make another meaningful sentence.

Other parts of speech can be used for each number thrown.

Toss and write

Before the activity, a cube is prepared. Upon each face of the cube, a task is written that requires specific grammar knowledge. For example:

Make a sentence

Make a question

Provide two adjectives

Provide two verbs

Create a noun group (e.g. article, adjective/s noun)

Provide a noun and an adverb

Students select a subject ( noun) from a tin. They throw the cube, and whichever side of the cube faces up is the task they must attempt.

10 fun writing activities for the reluctant writer

How to Write a Scary Story

7 Fun Writing Sub Plans for Substitute Teachers

These 7 things keep me busy on my high-end gaming PC, and playing games isn't one of them.

Transitioning from gaming to work PC: Spending more time customizing RGB themes and wallpapers, less time playing games.
CPU monitoring obsession: Constantly checking temps despite not overclocking or playing demanding games often.
Struggle with gaming commitment: Opting for low-involvement browser games instead of committing to titles in Steam library.

Being a PC user since the dawn of the millennium (yeah, I'm old), I always wanted to have a truly high-end gaming PC of my own. My journey from an Intel dual-core to an AMD 8-core gaming PC finally concluded with an RTX 3080 gaming PC in my possession, but once the novelty wore off, I realized I didn't end up spending as much time playing games on it as I imagined I would.

Once I was done with my inner child healing — finishing Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2 Stay Human, A Plague Tale: Requiem , Death Stranding, Marvel's Spider-Man, and more — I ended up doing everything but gaming on my high-end PC. I now spend the bulk of my time caring about every aspect of my gaming PC except actually firing up a new game. But, at least I'm having fun, right? Right?

8 best practices as a PC user I've learned along the way

Writing the next hot take, and preparing to get roasted in the comments.

Naturally, I don't have as much time to play games as I did when I was younger. Writing for multiple publications keeps me busy during the weekdays, and I'm too tired to play anything on the weekends. So, my "gaming PC" has mostly become my work PC, and instead of Steam, Epic Games, and MSI Afterburner , I have 3 separate browser windows with multiple tabs each open at any point in time.

Though I love my job, I miss the days when I had tons of time to play games all day.

This inevitably means I'm spending more and more time researching topic ideas instead of looking for something new to play. Though I love my job, I miss the days when I had tons of time to play games all day. But I only had a potato PC that struggled to run NFS Carbon or Hitman: Blood Money.

These are the five things you should do after building your PC

Desperately hunting for the next best wallpaper, wallpaper engine has me hooked.

Your desktop wallpaper occupies the prime position on your monitor, and it needs to look good. Ever since I joined the hundreds of thousands of people using Wallpaper Engine to beautify their desktops, I've never gone back to static wallpapers. It's just that damn addictive — I can get everything from cozy anime wallpapers, mysterious sci-fi scenes, and ambient landscapes to designs from every single one of my favorite IPs.

It might not be the best use of my time, but it makes my desktop look pretty damn good for the few seconds I see it between articles.

I spend an ungodly amount of time searching and installing new "Approved" wallpapers almost every day. I'm so invested at this point that I can't help but badger my partner until she walks over to my desk and appreciates the latest Attack on Titan wallpaper I have on. It might not be the best use of my time, but it makes my desktop look pretty damn good for the few seconds I see it between articles.

18 best wallpapers on Wallpaper Engine worthy of your PC

Finding new ways to customize my rgb theme, rgbe so captivating, i can't look away.

RGB is something not everyone likes — it can come across as tacky when done in excess. But, tasteful RGB elevates the looks of your PC, and can even give your PC an instant makeover . Admittedly, I started off with rainbow puke when I first dabbled into RGB customization, using the default RGBFusion app for my Gigabyte motherboard. But, as I got bored with it and found apps like SignalRGB , I had an endless supply of RGB effects to explore.

So, whether I'm writing, browsing the web, or playing something, my RGB theme is always in sync with my mood.

From gradients, falling or rising colors, and audio visualizers to cyberpunk-themed and Star Wars -inspired effects, SignalRGB has something for everyone. And most of its effects are free to use, with the paid subscription offering game integrations and better audio visualizers, among other effects. I'm currently rocking the "Screen Ambience" effect on my PC, which mirrors my desktop screen. So, whether I'm writing, browsing the web, or playing something, my RGB theme is always in sync with my mood.

The great thing about SignalRGB is that you can customize the effects and save them as presets. You can even customize the virtual layout of your RGB components so that they light up in just the right way and order that you want.

How to use Dynamic Lighting on Windows 11

Needlessly monitoring cpu temps, it's been years since i overclocked my cpu.

Another app I end up using a lot is HWiNFO to check my CPU temperature constantly. It's another matter that I haven't overclocked my CPU or changed my fan curves in years. I don't even hear my CPU, GPU, or case fans when I launch a heavy game once in a blue moon. So, then why do I spend so much time monitoring my temps? I'm as clueless as you are.

Considering that I don't even play games that much, I think I'm justified in questioning why my idle CPU temp hovers in the higher 50s.

Maybe I have a compulsive need to keep the CPU temperature as low as possible . And considering that I don't even play games that much, I think I'm justified in questioning why my idle CPU temp hovers in the higher 50s. Did I mention that I have a 240mm liquid AIO cooler for a 65W TDP processor and a Lancool II Mesh case with ample airflow? Having a CPU running hot despite this hardware annoys me to end, and I keep hoping that checking the CPU temp constantly will magically make it come down — because I've tried every other fix.

How to check CPU temperature in Windows 11

Staring endlessly at my steam library, hoping for motivation to strike.

It's not that I don't try to play the games I've bought with my hard-earned money. I wait for the weekend, find an ideal slot, take a deep breath, and launch Steam. After scrolling through Steam's recommended games and those running discounts, I navigate to my library and stare at the list of options before me. That's when things go wrong — I just find it hard to commit to anything. Every game that I excitedly purchased now seems like too big a task for the limited time I have to spare.

This is when I make one last-ditch effort and launch Epic Games Store, hoping that it could do what Steam couldn't.

The motivation to launch a new game and immerse myself in a new world and characters seems less and less appealing as time goes on. Meanwhile, I get distracted by my phone and the thought of rewatching The Office. This is when I make one last-ditch effort and launch Epic Games Store, hoping that it could do what Steam couldn't. But obviously, that doesn't work. So I end up opening YouTube in a new tab and start clearing my "Watch Later" list.

How to add custom artwork to your Steam library games

Playing low-involvement browser games (yet again), the road oft-taken.

So you remember how I fail time and again to commit to a game from my Steam library? Well, the high involvement that those titles demand is something that I'm currently not equipped for. So I always end up playing one of the casual browser games I've already sunk thousands of hours into. It's mostly Smash Karts that I turn to in these moments, a game where 8 to 12 players blow each other up to rack up the maximum kills in three minutes.

It's a game that I'm good at and still enjoy playing. And I do miss the allure of an open-world RPG or the thrill of a spooky survival horror title, but there's always time for that later. It's just that the definition of "later" has become so far removed from reality that I question whether the time will ever arrive when I actually stress my RTX 3080 to its limits.

Best gaming browser in 2024

Reluctantly cleaning the dusty insides of my pc, free of gaming but free of dust too.

Once every few months (dare I say), I finally give in to the embarrassing amount of dust visible inside my PC. The graphics card, the top of the PSU shroud, the RAM sticks, and the AIO pump — the helpless cries of all the victims end up melting my heart. I wait for the weekend (naturally) and get down to it. I'd like to say that I do a thorough job of cleaning my PC, but neither you nor I will believe it. I just clean the areas in my line of sight and that's the end of it.

Cleaning the dust out of your PC tower is important for many reasons, but the reason why I do it is mostly for aesthetics. Granted, I could do it more frequently, but it's still better to do it occasionally than not do it at all.

Don't beat yourself up for not gaming enough

What I've realized after many months of not finding enough time for gaming is that I shouldn't be too hard on myself. After all, as our responsibilities increase, and our lives get richer and more diverse, we don't always find time for everything. Even if I'm not motivated enough to play the best titles on my gaming rig, I know it's not going to stay the same forever. For instance, I recently got around to playing Alan Wake and Max Payne 3 . I'm on a bit of a Remedy binge right now and planning to play Alan Wake 2 next (and yes, I know Remedy wasn't directly involved in Max Payne 3 ).

These 7 things keep me busy on my high-end gaming PC, and playing games isn't one of them.

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When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

How to write better ChatGPT prompts in 5 steps

ChatGPT is the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that's taken the world by storm. While there's always the possibility it will simply make stuff up , there's a lot you can do when crafting prompts to ensure the best possible outcome. That's what we'll be exploring in this how-to.

In this article, we'll show you how to write prompts that encourage the large language model (LLM) that powers ChatGPT to provide the best possible answers.

Also: Have 10 hours? IBM will train you in AI fundamentals - for free

Writing effective prompts, known as prompt engineering, has even become its own highly-paid discipline . Who knows? These tips could help you build the skills to become one of those highly paid prompt engineers. Apparently, these gigs can pay from $175,000 to $335,000 per year.

How to write effective ChatGPT prompts

1. talk to the ai like you would a person.

One of the more interesting things I had to get used to when working with ChatGPT is that you don't program it, you talk to it. As a formally trained programmer, I've had to leave a lot of habits by the wayside when engaging with AI. Talking to it (and with it) requires a mindset shift.

When I say talk to it like a person, I mean talk to it like you would a co-worker or team member. If that's hard to do, give it a name. Alexa is taken, so maybe think of it as "Bob". This naming helps because when you talk to Bob, you might include conversational details, little anecdotes that give your story texture.

Also: How to use ChatGPT to write code

When talking to a person, it would be natural for them to miss your point initially and require clarification, or veer away from the topic at hand and need to be wrangled back. You might need to fill in the backstory for them, or restate complex questions based on the answers they give you.

This is called interactive prompting. Don't be afraid to ask multi-step questions: ask, get a response, and based on that response, ask another question. I've done this myself, sometimes 10 or 20 times in a row, and gotten very powerful results. Think of this as having a conversation with ChatGPT.

2. Set the stage and provide context

Writing a ChatGPT prompt is more than just asking a one-sentence question. It often involves providing relevant background information to set the context of the query.

Let's say that you want to prepare for a marathon (for the record, I do not run, dance, or jump -- this is merely an example). You could ask ChatGPT:

How can I prepare for a marathon?

However, you'll get a far more nuanced answer if you add that you're training for your first marathon. Try this instead:

I am a beginner runner and have never run a marathon before, but I want to complete one in six months. How can I prepare for a marathon?

By giving the AI more information, you're helping it return a more focused answer. Even with ChatGPT's help, there's no way I'm going to run a marathon (unless I'm doing it with a V-Twin motor under my seat). Here are two more examples of questions that provide context:

I am planning to travel to Spain in a few months and would like to learn some basic Spanish to help me communicate with local residents. I am looking for online resources that are suitable for beginners and provide a structured and comprehensive approach to learning the language. Can you recommend some online resources for learning Spanish as a beginner?

In this case, rather than just asking about learning resources, the context helps focus the AI on learning how to communicate on the ground with local residents. Here's another example:

I am a business owner interested in exploring how blockchain technology can be used to improve supply chain efficiency and transparency. I am looking for a clear and concise explanation of the technology and examples of how it has been used in the context of supply chain management. Can you explain the concept of blockchain technology and its potential applications in supply chain management?

In this example, rather than just asking for information on blockchain and how it works, the focus is specifically on blockchain for supply chain efficiency and how it might be used in a real-world scenario.

Also: How to use Image Creator from Microsoft Designer (formerly Bing Image Creator) Lastly, let's get into how to construct a detailed prompt.

One note: I limit the answer to 500 words because ChatGPT seems to break when asked to produce somewhere between 500 and 700 words, leaving stories mid-sentence and not resuming properly when asked to continue. I hope future versions provide longer answers, because premises like this can generate fun story beginnings:

Write a short story for me, no more than 500 words. The story takes place in 2339, in Boston. The entire story takes place inside a Victorian-style bookstore that wouldn't be out of place in Diagon Alley. Inside the store are the following characters, all human: The proprietor: make this person interesting and a bit unusual, give them a name and at least one skill or characteristic that influences their backstory and possibly influences the entire short story. The helper: this is a clerk in the store. His name is Todd. The customer and his friend: Two customers came into the store together, Jackson and Ophelia. Jackson is dressed as if he's going to a Steampunk convention, while Ophelia is clearly coming home from her day working in a professional office. Another customer is Evangeline, a regular customer in the store, in her mid-40s. Yet another customer is Archibald, a man who could be anywhere from 40 to 70 years old. He has a mysterious air about himself and seems both somewhat grandiose and secretive. There is something about Archibald that makes the others uncomfortable. A typical concept in retail sales is that there's always more inventory "in the back," where there's a storeroom for additional goods that might not be shown on the shelves where customers browse. The premise of this story is that there is something very unusual about this store's "in the back." Put it all together and tell something compelling and fun.

You can see how the detail provides more for the AI to work with. First, feed "Write me a story about a bookstore" into ChatGPT and see what it gives you. Then feed in the above prompt and you'll see the difference.

3. Tell the AI to assume an identity or profession

One of ChatGPT's coolest features is that it can write from the point of view of a specific person or profession. In a previous article, I showed how you can make ChatGPT write like a pirate or Shakespeare , but you can also have it write like a teacher, a marketing executive, a fiction writer -- anyone you want.

Also: How ChatGPT can rewrite and improve your existing code

For example, I can ask ChatGPT to describe the Amazon Echo smart home device, but to do so from the point of view of a product manager, a caregiver, and a journalist in three separate prompts:

From the point of view of its product manager, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device. From the point of view of an adult child caring for an elderly parent, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device. From the point of view of a journalist, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device.

Try dropping these three prompts into ChatGPT to see its complete response.

I've pulled a few lines from ChatGPT's responses, so you can see how it interprets different perspectives. From the product manager identity: I can confidently say that this is one of the most innovative and revolutionary products in the smart home industry.

From the caregiver identity: The device's ability to set reminders and alarms can be particularly helpful for elderly individuals who may have trouble remembering to take their medication or attend appointments.

Also: 5 ways to explore the use of generative AI at work

And from the journalist identity: From a journalistic perspective, the Echo has made headlines due to privacy concerns surrounding the collection and storage of user data.

You can see how different identities allow the AI to provide different perspectives as part of its response. To expand this, you can let the AI do a thought experiment. Let's look at some of the issues that went into the creation of something like Alexa:

The year is 2012. Siri has been out for the iPhone for about a year, but nothing like an Alexa smart home device has been released. The scene is an Amazon board meeting where the Echo smart assistant based on Alexa has just been proposed. Provide the arguments, pro and con, that board members at that meeting would have been likely to discuss as part of their process of deciding whether or not to approve spending to invest in developing the device. Feel free to also include participation by engineering design experts and product champions, if that provides more comprehensive perspective.

It's also good to know that making minor changes to your prompts can significantly change ChatGPT's response. For example, when I changed the phrase, "Provide the arguments, pro and con, that..." to "Provide the pro and con arguments as dialogue, that...," ChatGPT rewrote its answer, switching from a list of enumerated pros and cons to an actual dialogue between participants.

4. Keep ChatGPT on track

As mentioned above, ChatGPT has a tendency to go off the rails, lose track of the discussion, or completely fabricate answers.

There are a few techniques you can use to help keep it on track and honest.

One of my favorite things to do is ask ChatGPT to justify its responses. I'll use phrases like "Why do you think that?" or "What evidence supports your answer?" Often, the AI will simply apologize for making stuff up and come back with a new answer. Other times, it might give you some useful information about its reasoning path. In any case, don't forget to apply the tips I provide for having ChatGPT cite sources .

Also: My two favorite ChatGPT Plus features and the remarkable things I can do with them

If you have a fairly long conversation with ChatGPT, you'll start to notice that the AI loses the thread. Not that that's unique to AIs -- even in extended conversations with humans, someone is bound to get lost. That said, you can gently guide the AI back on track by reminding it what the topic is, as well as what you're trying to explore.

5. Don't be afraid to play and experiment

One of the best ways to up your skill at this craft is to play around with what the chatbot can do.

Try feeding ChatGPT a variety of interesting prompts to see what it will do with them. Then change them up and see what happens. Here are five to get you started:

Imagine you are a raindrop falling from the sky during a thunderstorm. Describe your journey from the moment you form in the cloud to the moment you hit the ground. What do you see, feel, and experience?
You are a toy that has been left behind in an attic for decades. Narrate your feelings, memories of playtimes past, and your hopes of being rediscovered.
Write the final diary entry of a time traveler who has decided to settle down in a specific era, explaining why they chose that time and what they've learned from their travels.
Imagine a dialogue between two unlikely objects, like a teacup and a wristwatch, discussing the daily routines and challenges they face.
Describe a day in an ant colony from the perspective of an ant. Dive deep into the politics, challenges, and social structures of the ant world.

Pay attention not only to what the AI generates, but how it generates what it does, what mistakes it makes, and where it seems to run into limits. All of that detail will help you expand your prompting horizons.

More prompt-writing tips

Feel free to re-ask the question. ChatGPT will often change its answer with each ask.
Make small changes to your prompts to guide it into giving you a better answer.
ChatGPT will retain its awareness of previous conversations as long as the current page is open. If you leave that page, it will lose awareness. To be clear, ChatGPT will also sometimes lose the thread of the conversation without reason, so be aware you may need to start over from time to time.
Similarly, opening a new page will start the discussion with fresh responses.
Be sure to specify the length of the response you want. Answers over about 500 words sometimes break down.
You can correct and clarify prompts based on how the AI answered previously. If it's misinterpreting you, you may be able to just tell it what it missed and continue.
Rephrase questions if ChatGPT doesn't want to answer what you're asking. Use personas to elicit answers that it might not otherwise want to give.
If you want sources cited , tell it to support or justify its answers.
ChatGPT custom instructions are now available to free users. You can give ChatGPT a set of prompts that are always available , so you don't have to retype them.
Keep experimenting.
Consider getting the ChatGPT Plus subscription . You can then use your own data for powerful analytics . You can also pull data from the Web .
Try asking the same question of Gemini (formerly Bard) or Copilot (formerly Bing Chat). Both will interpret your prompts differently and answer differently. This is effectively getting a second opinion on your prompt, and can give you alternate perspectives.
Ask for examples. If you want to see how well ChatGPT understands what you're asking for, ask it "Can you give me three examples of how that works?" or similar questions.
Ask it to repeat parts of your original requests back to you. For example, if you feed it an article to analyze, you can tell it something like, "Just to be sure you understand, please echo back the first three headlines," or "I want to be sure you understand what I mean, so summarize the main conflict discussed in this article."
Sometimes ChatGPT just fails. Keep trying, but also be willing to give up and move on to other tools. It's not perfect...yet.

What type of prompts work best with ChatGPT?

Part of what makes ChatGPT so compelling is you can ask it almost anything. That said, keep in mind that it's designed to provide written answers. If you want a list of websites, you're better off talking to Google.

Also: How to use DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT

If you want some form of computation, talk to Wolfram Alpha . Give ChatGPT open-ended prompts, encourage creativity, and don't be afraid to share personal experiences or emotions. Plus, keep in mind that the AI's knowledge ends in 2021 for ChatGPT 3.5 and December 2023 for ChatGPT 4 in ChatGPT Plus.

How can I adjust the complexity of ChatGPT responses?

You can directly specify the complexity level by including it in your prompt. Add "... at a high school level" or "... at a level intended for a Ph.D. to understand" to the end of your question. You can also increase complexity of output by increasing the richness of your input. The more you provide in your prompt, the more detailed and nuanced ChatGPT's response will be. You can also include other specific instructions, like "Give me a summary," "Explain in detail," or "Provide a technical description."

Also: How does ChatGPT actually work?

You can also pre-define profiles. For example, you could say "When evaluating something for a manager, assume an individual with a four-year business college education, a lack of detailed technical understanding, and a fairly limited attention span, who likes to get answers that are clear and concise. When evaluating something for a programmer, assume considerable technical knowledge, an enjoyment of geek and science fiction references, and a desire for a complete answer. Accuracy is deeply important to programmers, so double-check your work."

If you ask ChatGPT to "explain C++ to a manager" and "explain C++ to a programmer," you'll see how the responses differ.

What do I do if ChatGPT refuses to answer or I don't like its answer?

There are some guardrails built into ChatGPT. It tends to shut down if you ask it political questions, for example. That's what's built into the system. While you might be able to tease out an answer, it's probably not going to provide great value. That said, feel free to keep trying with different phrasing or perspectives.

You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly update newsletter on Substack , and follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz , on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz , on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz , and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV .

More on AI tools

Google releases two new free resources to help you optimize your ai prompts, humane ai pin: what went wrong and how it can be fixed (before it's too late), how to get started with meta ai in facebook, instagram, and more.

More From Forbes

Nyt ‘strands’ hints, spangram and answers for friday, april 26.

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Today's NYT Strands hints and answers.

Looking for Thursday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:

Hey there, everyone! Today is my last at-bat for Strands coverage for a couple of weeks . My colleague Paul Tassi will step up to the plate tomorrow. Hope you have a great weekend and that you don’t have too much trouble finding the theme words in the coming days.

In the meantime, today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers are coming right up.

How To Play Strands

The New York Times’ Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. It’s in beta for now, which means it’ll only stick around if enough people play it every day.

There’s a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you’ll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.

You’ll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links at least two sides of the board, but it may not start or end there. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.

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Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and it’s possible to switch directions in the middle of a word. If you’re playing on a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess.

If you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme, you’ll unlock the Hint button. Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words.

Be warned: You’ll need to be on your toes. Sometimes you’ll need to fill the missing word(s) in a phrase. On other days, the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty will vary from day to day, and the puzzle creators will try to surprise you sometimes.

What Is Today’s Strands Hint?

Scroll slowly! Just after the hint for today’s Strands puzzle, I’ll reveal what the answer words are.

The official theme hint for today’s Strand puzzle is...

Staff members

Need some extra help? Here’s another hint...

There are eight words to find today, including the spangram.

What Are Today’s Strands Answers?

Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Strands answers.

I’ll first tell you the spangram and show you where that is on the grid. I’ll then tell you the other words and show you how they fit in.

This is your final warning!

Today’s Strands spangram is...

Here’s where you’ll find it on the grid...

New York Times Strands screenshot, showing the highlighted term NOTATION.

The rest of today’s Strands theme words are...

Here’s what the completed grid looks like...

Completed Strands grid for April 26 featuring the words SIGNATURE, REST, NOTATION, FLAT, MEASURE, ... [+] CLEF, SHARP and NATURAL.

I thought SINGER in the top left might have been a theme word, because hey, that's a job. I figured I might as well unlock a hint, so SIGN and SIRE gave me the letters for FLAT. Hmmm. So, we're probably not looking for literal members of staff here.

Back to the drawing board. SING, SIRS and SAINT (all still in that top-left corner) opened up CLEF. So, musical notation it is. Sure enough, I found the spangram next, followed by NATURAL.

It's been a long time since I looked at any musical notation (I tried keyboards as a youngster but later took up guitar and relied on tabs), so I needed some help. TRUE, MUTE and EASE gave me the letters for REST, but not before TRES and ERST brought me two-thirds of the way to my next hint.

MANI gave me another hint and the letters for SHARP in the bottom left. I should have gotten that one. FANE on the right, followed by FIST and SOFA gave me MEASURE. That left me with SIGNATURE to wrap things up.

Not an ideal way for me to close out my week on the Strands ones and twos, but I had fun all the same. I used a whopping five hints and the spangram was the third theme word I found.

That’s all there is to it for today’s Strands clues and answers. Be sure to check Paul’s blog for hints and the solution for Saturday’s game if you need them.

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In this importance of sports and games essay, students will get to know the benefits of playing different sports and games. By going through sports and games essays, students get enough information so they can write essays in their own words. Games and Sports. The words games and sports are mostly used together. But both of them are different.
Persuasive Essay: Video Games
Persuasive Essay: Video Games. Teenagers today often spend a great deal of time playing video games. These games are fun and engaging and young people often feel like playing games is a great thing to do in their spare time. However, you shouldn't spend too much time gaming and there are a number of reasons for this: it's unhealthy, you ...
Essay on Video Games
Students are often asked to write an essay on Video Games in their schools and colleges. And if you're also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic. ... It's important to play responsibly and maintain a healthy balance. Also check: 10 Lines on Video Games;
Essay on Computer Games
Students are often asked to write an essay on Computer Games in their schools and colleges. And if you're also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic. ... Spending too much time playing games can make you forget about other important things like homework, sports, or spending time with family ...
The Field of Dreams Approach: On Writing About Video Games
Every year, more and more great essays are published on literary sites concerning video games. In the past year I've especially loved entries like Janet Frishberg's "On Playing Games, Productivity, and Right Livelihood," Joseph Spece's "A Harvest of Ice," and Adam Fleming Petty's "The Spatial Poetics of Nintendo: Architecture, Dennis Cooper, and Video Games." But […]
Video Games: A Sport or Not: [Essay Example], 689 words
Let us write you an essay from scratch. 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help; Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours; Write my essay. ... Video Gaming Can Be Harmless and Even Helpful" by Cheney Wu talks about benefits of playing video games. He also says that too much video game is not a good thing, but with right the portion of
ESL Writing Worksheet: Opinion Essay About Video Games ...
1. Read the above essay, then choose and circle the 6 ideas that are mentioned in the essay. a) Video games can increase your intelligence and ability to think. b) Too many young people are obsessed with video games. c) Playing video games online is good for socializing.
IELTS Writing Task 2: 'video games' essay
There are ambivalent attitudes towards this kind of entertainment. For example, some regard video games as an innocuous kind of fun; however, others suppose that video games would deteriorate people's health. In this essay, I will express my view of whether or not the negative aspects prevail over the benefits.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Games
Video games: advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, it is argued by many that video games can cause a lot of health problems. For instance, looking at the screen for long hours can harm eyes and cause vision impairment because the cornea and iris of the eyes are not intended for viewing electronic devices for a long time. Moreover, using video games for too long may also cause headaches ...
Effects of Video Games on Children
The evidence that video games increase violence among children is overwhelming. For example, a study in 2001 found that a high number of violence cases in high schools and universities were orchestrated by persons who confessed to playing violent games regularly. An explanation for this is that aggression is mainly based on the learning ...
Playing Soccer Game: Personal Experience Essay
Get custom essay. The main advantage of the game last week was the fact that all players admired and respected the talent of other team players. Playing soccer, my team restored and rejuvenated energies to work and deal with life by playing. Fatigue and boredom were relieved by using the body physically in temporally novel ways.
Computer Games Essay
This essay will consider the positive and negative impacts of this and discuss ways to avoid the potential negative effects. With regards to the positive effects, playing computer games can develop children's cognitive skills. Many popular games require abstract and high level thinking skills in order to win, skills that may not be taught at ...
What Do You Like About Playing Games?
Online or in real life, alone or with others, on a road trip, in a backyard, around a table, or on a screen: What games do you most enjoy playing?
10 Fun Classroom Writing Games to Improve Literacy Skills
For example: Make a sentence. Make a question. Provide two adjectives. Provide two verbs. Create a noun group (e.g. article, adjective/s noun) Provide a noun and an adverb. Students select a subject ( noun) from a tin. They throw the cube, and whichever side of the cube faces up is the task they must attempt.
These 7 things keep me busy on my high-end gaming PC, and playing games
It's a game that I'm good at and still enjoy playing. And I do miss the allure of an open-world RPG or the thrill of a spooky survival horror title, but there's always time for that later.
How to write better ChatGPT prompts in 5 steps
Here's how to up your prompt-writing game. Written by David Gewirtz, Senior Contributing Editor April 25, 2024 at 4:26 p.m. PT Reviewed by Min Shin and Alyson Windsor
NYT 'Strands' Hints, Spangram And Answers For Friday, April 26
There's a new game of Strands to play every day.The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you'll get ...